Help

Newsletter

Atlantic Beach man sentenced to life in swastika tattoo shooting

Benjamin Lee Washington arrives for his sentencing in the 2006 murder of Chad David Henderson at the Duval County Courthouse Friday. He was sentenced to life in prison for shooting a 19-year-old man in the back after getting into a discussion about race because of his swastika tattoo.

An Atlantic Beach man has been sentenced to life in prison for a second time after being convicted of a 2006 Mayport murder that followed an argument about the victim’s swastika tattoo and racial comments.

Benjamin Lee Washington, 31, was sentenced by Circuit Judge Tatiana Salvador on Friday for the murder of Chad David Henderson, 19. A jury convicted Washington of second-degree murder in October.

Henderson was shot and killed during a tattoo party at Mayport Trace apartments. Witnesses said Washington questioned Henderson about a swastika tattoo on his leg and they discussed Henderson’s views that minority races should be bred out. Then Washington shot him in the back.

Washington was convicted of the same crime in 2007 and sentenced to life without parole by Circuit Judge John Merrett. The 1st District Court of Appeal overturned the conviction and found that Merrett had improperly instructed the jury on the lesser offense of manslaughter, which the jury could consider instead of second-degree murder.

Friday prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that under current Florida law Salvador has no choice but to sentence Washington to life without parole. Washington previously did time for an armed robbery in Pennsylvania. Because he’d previously committed a crime with a gun, Florida law mandated that he get life.

Henderson’s grandfather, David Henderson, told Salvador his son was a good man who would have grown out of his racial hostility if Washington hadn’t killed him.

“Shooting someone in the back because of what they said is senseless,” Henderson said.

Henderson said he hoped to see Washington express some remorse for the crime, but it never came.

Mother Darby Henderson told Salvador that Washington stole the future of her son and brought pain that would never go away to everyone who loved him.

“I was given a life sentence of missing my son until the day I die,” Henderson said.

She also said she’d seen no remorse from her son’s killer. After the victim’s family spoke, Washington gave a rambling five-minute statement where he said he was sorry that Henderson died but didn’t believe he was the killer.

Washington told Salvador he shot Henderson in the shoulder, and Henderson was still alive when he left. He argued that someone else killed him afterwards.